Dr. Frank Whiting
November 2, 1929 - November 13, 2021

Frank Whiting, of Morris Plains, New Jersey and Anthem, Arizona, passed away peacefully on November 13, 2021, after a lengthy illness. He was surrounded by his loving wife and two of his children.

Frank was born in Shaw, Mississippi on November 2, 1929, the oldest of four children born to Abijah and George Emily Whiting. A member of Pilgrim Green Church, he dedicated his life to Christ at an early age. Not long afterward, he and his extended family moved north to Gary, Indiana as part of the Great Migration, where they joined Trinity Baptist Church. A member of the National Honor Society, Frank graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1948.

Frank enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served four years during the Korean War. Although he was not deployed overseas, he remained ready to serve. After he was honorably discharged, Frank attended Indiana University at Bloomington, where he received his B.A. in Education. While at IU, Frank joined the Alpha Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He would later return to receive both his M.A. and Ed.D. in Supervision and Administration.

Frank was a natty dresser who loved some of the finer things in life: bespoke suits, luxury cars, and Maxine Woodward. They met on a blind date in 1960 and after three proposals, she finally agreed to marry him in 1961. He would follow her to the ends of the earth -- and nearly did -- during their almost 60 years of marriage: From the fiery volcanos in Hawaii, to the majestic ice flows in Alaska, the brisk fjords in Norway, the historic Hermitage in Russia, the exalted Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil - and all points in between. Whatever city, state, country or demilitarized zone Maxine landed in (and yes, her directions did accidentally cause him to drive to the DMZ between what was then East and West Germany), whether by car, plane or ocean liner, there was Frank - their luggage and his ever-present camera in tow.

But don't let his sophisticated style fool you. Frank was as comfortable eating at a backyard fish fry as he was at a 3-star Michelin restaurant. And all the while -- with a Beefeater and tonic, with a twist of lime dropped in, not squeezed, in hand - he would regale his listeners with colorful stories and jokes (some tame, some ribald, but all humorous).

For Frank, education was paramount to success, and he instilled the same belief in his own children as well as the thousands of students he supervised over four decades. He began his long and distinguished career in education by teaching in the Gary, Indiana Public School System, where he met Maxine. Eventually, he moved his growing family to Morris Plains, New Jersey, where they joined Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown, New Jersey. Frank remained a member throughout his life.

Frank was the first and only African American administrator during his 25-year tenure in the Livingston Public School System, where he served as Principal of Mt. Pleasant Elementary School, Collins Elementary School, and Harrison Elementary School. And who doesn't fondly remember their first Principal? It is the same for the multitude of children whose lives Dr. Whiting positively and indelibly impacted long into adulthood. Among the many honors and awards received, one of his most cherished was the renaming of the Harrison Elementary School drive to "Whiting Way".

Frank believed that one of the best ways to make a positive change was action through service. He was a Life Member who held various local chapter offices in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, a Life Member of the NAACP, a member of the National Urban League, a Founding Sponsor of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National

Memorial Project Foundation, Inc., and a Life member of Indiana University Alumni Association. He also held membership in many other civic and community service organizations and clubs.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Elijah "Buddy" Whiting, and is lovingly remembered by his wife, Maxine Whiting and children Neil Whiting, Kelly (Matthew Newcombe) Whiting, Brent (Andrea) Whiting and Scott Whiting; grandson Lorenzo Whiting; sisters Jean E. Jones and Dorothy Evans; sister-in-law Doris Annette Carter and brother-in-law Michael (Karen) Woodward; special nieces Donna (Cliff) Burris, Cheryl (Greg) Hoskins, Farris Beasley, Lynn Toliver and Karen Hamilton; special cousins Flonoid "Jack" (Beatrice) Spells, Henry Jones, Pearl Rowe, Marie Hall, Ronald (Brenda) Stewart and Tommy Stewart; and a whole host of other beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.

A loving and loyal husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, Connecting Link, Honey Do, Gent, mentor and friend who fiercely protected his loved ones, Frank was a warm and charismatic soul, full of substance, who will be sorely missed.

Please click the link to view the Live Stream: https://vimeo.com/651321782

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